EAST LANSING, Mich., July 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Michigan State Football has doubled down on consistency with the installation of new indoor and outdoor practice fields by AstroTurf Great Lakes, reinforcing a clear commitment to what can be called a one turf standard across campus. For a football program preparing in every season and every condition, surface trust matters. Michigan State is investing in a training environment where players know exactly what they are stepping onto every time they practice indoors, outdoors, and across the broader athletic footprint.
That kind of alignment is not just operational. It’s football specific. Repetition drives the sport, and repetition is only as valuable as the surface beneath it. Every cut, every plant, every acceleration, and every team session is shaped by how much confidence athletes have in the field. By keeping players on one consistent AstroTurf system across multiple training environments, Michigan State is removing a variable from preparation and giving the program a more dependable foundation every day it takes the field.
The project also speaks to how fully Michigan State has embraced AstroTurf across campus. This is not a one-off installation. It is part of a broader commitment to keeping Spartan athletes on trusted AstroTurf systems in the places where they train and compete.
“Every great game starts with a great field. This installation is an investment in our student athletes, teamwork, and the future of Michigan State Athletics.” Said Dylan Marinez Associate Athletic Director-Capital Projects & Facilities
AstroTurf’s approach to football performance also runs deeper than narrow testing snapshots. The company relies on extensive internal and third-party evaluation across a wide range of conditions and performance factors to assess how a field will truly hold up over time. Rather than reducing a surface to only a few isolated metrics, AstroTurf’s testing philosophy looks more broadly at the factors that shape real football performance known as the One Turf Concept. These include Shock Absorption, Vertical Deformation, Energy Restitution, GMAX, HIC, Rotational Resistance, Infill Depth, and Free Pile Height. That more complete view helps build fields designed to meet the highest standards of grass field safety!
This installation also carries an important sustainability component. The previous two fields will become the first two fields recycled with New World Energy, giving the project a second layer of long-term value beyond performance. As Michigan State upgrades to new AstroTurf systems, those outgoing surfaces will not simply be removed and discarded. They will help advance a more responsible end-of-life model for sports surfacing, showing how field replacement can evolve alongside performance standards.
“Michigan State is showing exactly what serious football programs understand if you want players to prepare at a championship level, they need to trust the surface every time they step on it,” said Todd DeWolfe, CEO, AstroTurf Great Lakes. “Going all-in on the “One Turf Concept” natural grass testing benchmarks across indoor and outdoor practice environments gives their athletes that consistency, and it reflects the kind of commitment you expect from a program with Big Ten ambitions. We’re proud to help deliver that standard and to continue growing AstroTurf’s role on a campus that believes in doing things the right way.”
AstroTurf Great Lakes continues to be at the center of major athletic infrastructure work throughout the region, and Michigan State is another strong example of that momentum. From elite collegiate programs to major football environments, the distributor continues to expand its footprint by delivering installations that meet the expectations of programs operating at the highest level.
For Michigan State Football, these fields represent more than new practice space. They represent a sharper, more unified approach to preparation. One system. One standard. One trusted surface across the places where the Spartans build their season.
Liam Kissinger
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[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/76c68787-9f4d-47a8-8b1d-69868c26d09a